Bluetooth 3.0 Specs Coming April 21

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has confirmed that specifications for Bluetooth 3.0 will officially be announced on April 21st.

One of the most promising changes coming with Bluetooth 3.0 is the increased transfer speeds. Devices will now be able to shake hands over Bluetooth and then piggyback over 802.11 wireless to perform the transfer, which was demonstrated at this year's CeBIT.

The new standard also has new potential for mass storage devices and a new feature called Enhanced Power Control that will reduce accidental disconnects from devices such as phones and headsets.

"The speed of Bluetooth 3.0 will expand home entertainment and CE use cases in these under-penetrated markets," it said in an official statement. "Transferring an entire music library, a complete DVD, a vacation's worth of photos, all within seconds at the touch of a button and wirelessly will now be possible. And while speed is the coolest part of 3.0, there's also good news for the headset and handset crowds - a new feature called Enhanced Power Control reduces the incidence of disconnects caused by movement such as placing a phone in a pocket or purse."